Packaging carrier

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein is a single wall, tubular packaging carrier constructed of a flexible material such as paper. The tubular packaging carrier is open at both transverse ends and is provided with a carrying handle disposed adjacent to a longitudinal edge and affixed thereto by sewing. At least three plies of flexible material are associated with the aforesaid longitudinal edge.

United States Patent 1191 Baxter et al.

[ PACKAGING CARRIER [75] Inventors: Robert O. Baxter, Camden, Ark; CarlA. Byars, Kansas City, Mo.; Richard J. Nadaskay, Freehold, N.J.; LamarR. Roark, Camden, Ark.

[73] Assignee: International Paper Company, New

York, NY.

[22] Filed: Mar. 10, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 233,429

[52] US. Cl 224/45 H, 224/45 P, 224/45 E, 229/52 A [51] Int. Cl. A45c3/00 [58] Field of Search 224/45 P, 49, 45 E, 45 H; 229/54, 52 A [56]References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,093,977 9/1937 Farmer 229/54 RAug. 6, 1974 2,237,324 4/1941 Wolf 224/45 P 2,397,433 3/1946 Reeves...224/49 2,625,318 l/l953 Ross 229/54 R 2,789,571 4/1957 Karman 224/492,947,464 8/1960 Newton 229/54 R Primary Examiner-Robert .l. SparAssistant Examiner-Kenneth Noland Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Alfred L.Michaelsen 5 7 ABSTRACT Disclosed herein is a single wall, tubularpackaging carrier constructed of a flexible material such as paper. Thetubular packaging carrier is open at both transverse ends and isprovided with a carrying handle disposed adjacent to a longitudinal edgeand affixed thereto by sewing. At least three plies of flexible materialare associated with the aforesaid longitudinal edge.

6 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTED WE 3.827. 6 14 SHEET 1 BF 3 FIGI.

PAIENTEBMIB 6 w 3.827.614

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SHEET 3 0F 3 FIGS PACKAGING CARRIER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Fieldto Which the Invention Pertains Broadly stated, the instant inventionpertains to the packaging art. More specifically, the instant inventionis directed at providing a construction for packaging bulky, butsubstantially self-contained articles, e.g., rolls of fiberglass. Bulky,substantially self-contained articles such as rolls of fiberglass areoften purchased, or locally transported, in quantity. For example, homeowners often purchase small quantities of rolls of fiberglass which mustbe carried from place to place, as from the point of purchase to theircar. Similarly, contractors insulating a house must transport such rollsfrom the point of delivery to the appropriate location within a house.

In view of these factors, it is desirable to provide such items in apackage which is so constructed and arranged as to facilitate the localtransportation of a number of such articles. Of course, any such packagemust have the attributes of being able to accommodate bulky articles,facilitate the carrying thereof, and be strong enough to withstand thestresses to which it may be subjected. In addition, it is evident thatany such package must be exceedingly low in cost which in turn dictatesa construction amenable to high speed manufacture. Another structuralattribute which such a package must possess in order to be commerciallyacceptable is ease of packaging. In other words, the construction ofsuch a package must be such that the manufacturer of the articles to bepackaged can quickly package his articles therein. Moreover, in additionto the structural and functional attributes which such a package mustpossess, the package must be such that when the articles are containedtherein, the appearance thereof is not esthetically offensive since thepackage, rather than the articles contained therein, will be primarilyvisible to an observer, for example a prospective purchaser.

The provision of such a package is the field to which the instantinvention pertains.

2. Prior Art The prior art relating to carrying devices or packageswhich facilitate carrying is, so far as applicants are aware, deficientwith respect to providing a construction which serves a packagingfunction for bulky articles while simultaneously facilitating thecarrying of such articles. For example, patents such as US. Pat. No.1,971,322, and 3,481,519 disclose sling type carriers which serve acarrying function but cannot be employed for the packaging of articlesto be carried.

Some prior art carrying devices clearly contemplate a complicatedconstruction utilizing an expensive material. For example, the carryingdevice of US. Pat. No. 2,296,080 is adaptable for carrying wearingapparel. As such, it is designed for reuse rather than being designed asan inexpensive, disposable item.

Other carrying devices have been designed to package and facilitate thetransportation of specific materials, for example liquids. Thus, U.S.Pat. No. 2,936,927 discloses a paper board milk container with a handle.While such a construction is useful for the packaging of materials suchas milk, wherein the associated package is rather small, it is clearthat such a package could not be expanded for utilization in conjunctionwith bulky articles since the related material costs would beprohibitive. Other patents which disclose articles of manufactureadapted for packaging or carrying are US. Pat. Nos. 2,501,037,2,936,927, 2,234,180 and 2,967,650. While all of the constructionsdisclosed in the aforementioned patents relate to the same general artas our invention, i.e. the packaging art, they all possess disadvantagessimilar to those heretofore mentioned vis-a-vis their use in connectionwith-the packaging of bulky articles.

As will hereinafter be more fully pointed out, our invention bears aresemblance to a bag construction provided with a handle. Thus, it isinstructive to consider some of the prior art relating to bags.

While the prior art relating to bags did contemplate the use of a handlein respect thereto, all such prior handled bag constructions wereutilized in connection with bags (particularly multi-wall bags) forpackaging granulated materials or, more generally, materials which werenot substantially self-contained. Examples of such bag constructions arepresented in U.S. Pat. No. 2,947,464, US. Pat. No. 2,625,318 andCanadian Patent No. 542,1 14. As such, such bags are not adaptable foruse in connection with the packaging of bulky articles.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tube fromwhich our invention may be constructed.

FIG. la is a perspective view of a modified tube from which areinvention may be constructed.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of our invention.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of the preferred embodiment shownin FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of one form of handle useful in the co nstructionof the instant invention.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side view, in section, of another embodiment ofour invention.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary side view, in section, of another embodiment ofour invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with our invention, there isprovided a packaging carrier constructed from a single ply of sheetmaterial, such as paper, which has'been joined longitudinally by anoverlapped, glue joint. Both ends of the packaging carrier, which aretransverse to the longitudinal overlapped glue joint, are open. Disposedadjacent to a longitudinal edge which is parallel to the aforementionedoverlapped glue joint, there is provided a handle which projectsinwardly from the longitudinal edge. Although the packaging carrier isof a single wall construction, the packaging carrier in the region ofthe longitudinal edge and adjacent to the aforementioned handle isprovided with at least three plies. Along a major portion of thelongitudinal edge, stitching is provided in such a manner as to engagethe assoclated three or more plies. In the area of the handle, thestitching engages both the handle and all the adjacent plies.

In the most preferred embodiment of our invention, a total of six pliesare employed in the region of the longitudinal edge and adjacent to thehandle. Two of the plies are supplied by the opposing walls of thepackaging carriers. The third and fourth ply are comprised of a strip ofmaterial, e.g., paper, affixed to the interior of the packaging carrieron the inner surface of the two opposing side walls of the packagingcarrier adjacent the longitudinal edge. In this preferred embodiment,the third and fourth plies are so affixed, as by gluing, during themanufacture of the tube which forms the packaging carrier. Finally,disposed exteriorly of the packaging carrier and around theaforementioned longitudinal edge, a second strip of material, e.g.,paper, is provided thus constituting the fifth and sixth plies. Finally,stitching is provided through all six plies and the aforementionedhandle.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIG. 1 of thedrawings, there is shown therein a tube constructed of a single ply ofsheet material, preferably paper. Those skilled in the art ofmanufacturing paper bags will recognize the construction shown in FIG.1, and generally indicated by the reference No. 10, as being a tube ofthe type commonly produced on a bag tuber. Those skilled in the bag artwill appreciate that there is a significant directional orientationassociated with such paper tubes. More specifically, tubes of the typeshown in FIG. 1 are formed on a bag tuber from a continuous roll ofsheet material wherein, as the sheet material passes through the tuber,the sheet material is wrapped so as to form a tube wherein thelongitudinal edges overlap. Prior to any physical contact between thesurfaces of the sheet material adjacent to the longitudinal edges, anadhesive is applied to at least one of the aforementioned surfaces.Subsequently, the two surfaces adjacent to the longitudinal edges arebrought into overlapping relation thus providing a glued, overlapped,longitudinal joint. Subsequent thereto, the tube thus formed may betransversely cut to provide a tube of any desired length.

Accordingly, one may obtain a tube of the type shown in FIG. 1 havinglongitudinal edges 11, 16 and transverse edges 17, 17', 12 and 12. Thesingle wall of material which forms the tube is joined at theoverlapped, longitudinal, glue joint defined by the longitudinal areabetween the lines 14 and 15 wherein the lines 14 and 15 represent thelongitudinal terminal edges of the single wall which comprises the tube.For purposes-of orientation, it may be said that the tube 10, as shownin FIG. 1, is comprised of a rear panel 31 and a front panel defined bythe areas 30 and 32.

Single wall paper tubes of the type shown in FIG. 1 and generallydesignated 10 are, as heretofore mentioned, well known to those skilledin the bag art and are readily available for purchase. Moreover, becausesuch tubes are manufactured on hihg-speed machinery such as a bag tuber,single wall paper tubes of the type shown in FIG. 1 are quiteinexpensive a necessary factor for providing a packaging carrier. Stillfurther, paper tubes as the type shown in FIG. 1 may be manufacturedfrom paper which has physical properties specifically selected to meetthe structural requirements of the packaging carrier. For example, awide variety of basis weights are available. (Basis weight is a termcommonly used in the paper industry and, with respect to paper,designates the weight of the paper per three thousand square feet.)Similarly, paper can be selected to provide a particular tensilestrength or a particular bursting (Mullen) strength. Additionally, it isadvantageous in certain circumstances to utilize so-called extensiblepaper in the construction of our invention.

Referring to FIG. 1A, an alternate form of a tube is shown which mayprofitably be used in the practice of our invention. The tube of FIG.1A, generally designated 10a, is provided with a gusset at onelongitudinal edge, i.e., panels defined by edges 16a-16b and 16b-16c areformed in the side of the tube. Tuber machines commonly employed in thebag industry can easily form such a gusset construction. Providing atleast one gusset at the side of the tube may be advantageous in theconstruction of our packaging carrier as it will facilitate the openingthereof as well as the insertion of bulky articles therein.

While tubes of the type shown in FIGS. 1 and 1A could be useful for thepackaging of bulky, selfcontained articles such as rolls of fiberglassinsulation, such a packaging means would not facilitate the carrying ofthe resulting package. Thus, it is the object of our invention toprovide carrying means, in combination with a packaging construction ofthe type shown in FIGS. 1 and 1A, while nevertheless not substantiallyincreasing the cost thereof. As will now be described, our inventionprovides such a carrying means in combination with tubes of the typeshown in FIGS. 1 and 1A.

In order to comprehend the significance of our invention, it must beappreciated that since the tubularconstructions shown in FIGS. 1 and 1Aare of the singlewall type, the mere addition of a carrying handlethereto would be self-defeating since the single wall of the tube couldnot withstand the high local stress that I would be generated by such ahandle when the package was carried. Of course, a simple answer to thisproblem would be to provide a multi-wall tube of the type commonly usedin the bag art to package heavy, granulated materials, such asfertilizer. However, this approach would also be self-defeating sinceproviding a multiwall tube would result in a construction which wasprohibitively high in cost. These conflicting requirements andobjectives are all satisfied by our invention, as will now be described.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a preferred embodiment of our invention isshown wherein, as may be noted, there is utilized a tube of the typegenerally shown in FIG. 1 and, when appropriate, referenced by the samenumbers as in FIG. 1. The required carrying means is provided by acarrying handle 21. The carrying handle 21 is located adjacent to butprojecting inwardly from the longitudinal edge 11 of the tube 10.Additionally, in the preferred embodiment of our invention shown in FIG.2, additional plies of material are provided adjacent to the handle 21.More specifically, referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a strip 20 is disposedexteriorly of the packaging carrier and around the longitudinal edge 11, either along the entire length of the longitudinal edge 11 or atleast a major portion thereof, thus providing two plies of papertransverse to the edge 11. In a somewhat similar fashion, a strip ofpaper 25 is provided interiorly of the bag adjacent to the longitudinaledge 11 thus providing two additional plies transverse to the edge 11.Finally, the walls 12 and 17 of the tube provide the fifth and sixth plytransverse to the tube. We have found it to be particularly convenientto provide the strip 25 during the formation of the tube 10 whereby thestrip 25 is inserted into and affixed to, for example by gluing, thetube 10 during the formation thereof. Affixing the strip 10 to theinterior of the bag by gluing or other similar means has been found tobe structurally advantageous.

With the six plies of paper provided and disposed as heretoforedescribed along with the handle 21, there is also provided Stitching 22through all of the aforementioned six plies as well as the handle 21.Stitching 22 can be provided by a standard sewing apparatus as commonlyutilized in the bag industry. As may be noted from FIG. 2, the stitching22 is preferably provided along the entire longitudinal edge of the tubebut at a minimum would be provided along at least a major portion ofsaid longitudinal edge.

With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, it may be noted that the carryinghandle is of a standard configuration wherein a hand opening is providedby the edges 42 I and 43 and the overall handle is defined by an outwardedge 44 and an inward edge 45. To insure the successful utilization ofthe handle in the combination of our invention, the handle shouldpreferably have a wide outward longitudinal area, i.e., the area betweenedges 42 and 44. In this manner, one achieves relative assurance thatwhen the handle 21 is initially disposed adjacent to the longitudinaledge 11, a significant area will be available for engagement by thestitching. Of course, the material of which the handle 21 is constructedmust be such as to permit the puncture thereof by a sewing needle. Inthis connection, we have found it advantageous to employ a carryinghandle constructed of a polymeric material such as a polyolefin althoughthe selection of a particular material for the carrying handle 21 willgenerally be dictated by factors indicated hereinbefore.

Referring again to FIG. 3, it is to be understood that the dispositionof the handle 21 inwardly of the longitudinal edge is of significance.In other words, rather than having the carrying handle 21 disposed asshown in FIG. 3 wherein the outward edge 44 is adjacent to or coincidentwith the longitudinal edge 11, the handle 21 might have been reversedsuch that the inward edge 45 was disposed outwardly of the longitudinaledge 11. That is to say, as shown in FIG. 3, the handle 21 might berotated 180. However, it has been found that such a construction wouldpresent manufacturing difiiculties. For example, if the handle 21 wereto be disposed outwardly of the longitudinal edge 11, the handle 21 maywell interfere with the sewing head which performs the stitchingoperation. Additionally, since the packaging carrier of the typedisclosed herein must be manufactured under high speed conditions toinsure economy, disposing the handle 21 inwardly of the longitudinaledge facilitates the manufacturing operation since the handle can bephysically deposited upon and supported by the walls of the tube andthen proceed to the stitching operation.

Summarizing the attributes of the instant invention as shown in thepreferred embodiment of FIGS. 2 and 3, there is provided a single wallpackaging carrier with a carrying handle adjacent to but inwardlydisposed from a longitudinal edge and a plurality of plies of material,e.g., paper, disposed adjacent to the carrying handle and engaging allof said plies including the walls of the packaging carrier. In thismanner, the resulting packaging carrier is low in cost because materialrequirements are minimized and high speed manufacturing techniques canbe employed. Moreover, the plurality of plies associated with andengaging the handle and the packaging carrier walls provide a mechanismfor absorbing the stress generated when goods packaged within thepackaging carrier are carried through use of the handle.

Recognizing that a plurality of plies of paper must be associated withand engaged with the carrying handle, other constructions of ourinvention are possible wherein there is provided at least three plies ofmaterial such as paper. Thus, another embodiment of our invention isshown in FIG. 5 wherein, in section, a fragmentary part of a tube, suchas tube 10 of FIG. 1, is shown having walls 12 and 17. The walls 12 and17 provide two plies in the area adjacent to the longitudinal edge 11.In addition, there is provided a single insert 29 which constitutes thethird ply. As was the case with the embodiment of our invention shown inFIG. 3, it is preferable to affix the insert 29 to the interior of oneor both of the walls 12 or 17 as, for example, by gluing. With the threeplies thus provided and the handle 21 disposed adjacent thereto andinwardly of the longitudinal edge, stitching 22 engages the three pliesand the carrying handle 21 in the same manner as heretofor describedwith respect to the embodiment of FIG. 2. Although it is not evident inFIG. 5 because FIG 5 is a sectional view, the stitching 22 should beprovided along at least a major portion of the tube parallel to thelongitudinal edge 11.

A particular paper which is useful in the practice of our invention is alb. Kraft paper, i.e., such paper may be employed to provide the singlewall of the packaging carrier. Additionally, paper of the same type maybe used for supporting plies. Considering a packaging carrier of thetype disclosed herein and constructed of paper having a basis weight of70 1b., it will be appreciated that although the basis weight of thesingle wall is only 70 1b., the three plies at the longitudinal edgewhich are engaged by the stitching have a combined weight of 210 lb.

In the embodiment of FIG. 6, the required three plies adjacent to thecarrying handle 21 are obtained without resort to a strip separate anddistinct from the bag walls. This objective is obtained by so folding atube of the type shown in FIG. 1 as to insure that a resultinglongituidnal edge is near or within the overlapped, glue joint. In thismanner, the overlapped, glue joint intrinsically provides at least twoplies and at least a third ply is longitudinal a wall of the packagingcarrier. As such, the three plies are essentially continuous whereas inthe embodiment of FIG. 5 the third ply 29 was discontinuous with respectto the walls of the packaging carrier. Thus, in the embodiment of FIG.6, a tube of the type shown in FIG. 1 has been creased to provide alongitudinal edge which is coincident with the terminal, longitudinaledge 15 of the single wall of the packaging carrier. In this manner, thewall 17 provides two plies and a third ply is provided by the terminal,longitudinal part of the wall 17A.

Still another embodiment of our invention employs a carrying handle ofthe type heretofore described in combination with a gusset, e.g., of thetype shown in FIG. 1A. Referring to FIGS. 1A and 4, a handle 21 would bedisposed adjacent to a gusset edge, e.g. 16A. Stitching is providedwhich engages the gusset and the handle. In this manner, the stitchingengages both the handle and four plies of sheet material. For additionalstrength, a strip of sheet material may be disposed around bothlongitudinal edges 16A and 16C. In this event, the stitching wouldengage the four plies which are the walls of the packaging carrier andthe two plies which are the sheet material disposed around thelongitudinal edges 16A and 16C.

While we have hereinbefore presented a number of embodiments of ourinvention, it is apparent that our basic construction can be altered toprovide other embodiments which utilize our invention. Thus, it will beappreciated that the scope of our invention is to be delined by theclaims appended hereto rather than the specific embodiments which havebeen hereinbefore presented by way of example.

We claim:

1. A packaging carrier which comprises:

a. continuous single ply sleeve open at both ends and having anoverlapped, longitudinally disposed glue oint;

b. a carrying handle adjacent to and projecting inwardly from onelongitudinal edge of said sleeve;

0. at least one ply of sheet material disposed interiorly of and adheredto said sleeve adjacent to said longitudinal edge;

(1. a strip of sheet material disposed exteriorly of said sleeve, aroundsaid longitudinal edge, along at least a major portion of saidlongitudinal edge; and

e. stitching along at least a major portion of said longitudinal edge,said stitching being so disposed as to engage at least two plies of saidsleeve said at least one ply of sheet material, said exteriorly disposedstrip of sheet material and the outward longitudinal area of saidcarrying handle.

2. The packaging carrier of claim 1 wherein said 1ongitudinal edge is sodisposed as to position said overlapped glue joint proximate thereto andsaid at least one ply of sheet material includes one ply of said over- 8lapped glue joint.

3. The packaging wrapper of claim 2 wherein said longitudinal edge iscoincident with one of the terminal, longitudinal edges of said singleply of sheet material.

4. The packaging carrier of claim 2 wherein said sheet material is paperhaving a basis weight of lbs.

5. The packaging carrier of claim 1 wherein said one ply of sheetmaterial is discontinuous with respect to the sleeve of said packagingcarrier.

6. A packaging carrier which comprises:

a. a continuous single ply sleeve open at both ends and having anoverlapped, longitudinally disposed glue joint;

b. a carrying handle adjacent to and projecting inwardly from onelongitudinal edge of said sleeve; c. two plies of sheet materialdisposed interiorly of and adhered to said sleeve ,adjacent to saidlongitudinal edge along at least a major portion thereof;

and

d. a strip of sheet material disposed exteriorly of said sleeve aroundsaid longitudinal edge along at least a major portion of saidlongitudinal edge; and

e. stitching along at least a major portion of said longitudinal edge,said stitching so disposed as to engage said exteriorly disposed stripof sheet material, said two plies of interiorly disposed sheet material,two opposed walls of said sleeve and the outward, longitudinal area ofsaid carrier handle.

1. A packaging carrier which comprises: a. continuous single ply sleeveopen at both ends and having an overlapped, longitudinally disposed gluejoint; b. a carrying handle adjacent to and projecting inwardly from onelongitudinal edge of said sleeve; c. at least one ply of sheet materialdisposed interiorly of and adhered to said sleeve adjacent to saidlongitudinal edge; d. a strip of sheet material disposed exteriorly ofsaid sleeve, around said longitudinal edge, along at least a majorportion of said longitudinal edge; and e. stitching along at least amajor portion of said longitudinal edge, said stitching being sodisposed as to engage at least two plies of said sleeve , said at leastone ply of sheet material, said exteriorly disposed strip of sheetmaterial and the outward longitudinal area of said carrying handle. 2.The packaging carrier of claim 1 wherein said longitudinal edge is sodisposed as to position said overlapped glue joint proximate thereto andsaid at least one ply of sheet material includes one ply of saidoverlapped glue joint.
 3. The packaging wrapper of claim 2 wherein saidlongitudinal edge is coincident with one of the terminal, longitudinaledges of said single ply of sheet material.
 4. The packaging carrier ofclaim 2 wherein said sheet material is paper having a basis weight of 70lbs.
 5. The packaging carrier of claim 1 wherein said one ply of sheetmaterial is discontinuous with respect to the sleeve of said packagingcarrier.
 6. A packaging carrier which comprises: a. a continuous singleply sleeve open at both ends and having an overlapped, longitudinallydisposed glue joint; b. a carrying handle adjacent to and projectinginwardly from one longitudinal edge of said sleeve; c. two plies ofsheet material disposed interiorly of and adhered to said sleeve,adjacent to said longitudinal edge along at least a major portionthereof; and d. a strip of sheet material disposed exteriorly of saidsleeve around said longitudinal edge along at least a major portion ofsaid longitudinal edge; and e. stitching along at least a major portionof said longitudinal edge, said stitching so disposed as to engage saidexteriorly disposed strip of sheet material, said two plies ofinteriorly disposed sheet material, two opposed walls of said sleeve andthe outward, longitudinal area of said carrier handle.